Dream

Chapter 12

We awoke, still sitting on the bench in the park, which had empty, apart from a group of three girls sitting on the swings.

'Okay, this is real.' Was all Daisy said.

'How do you know?'

'Because, it is. It just feels so real.'

'The other world felt real, too.'

'Annd now it feels like I just woke up from a dream.' Said Daisy.

'You're forgetting that this is me - my darkest parts - that created these worlds. I highly doubt that we'll be able to tell the difference by the way it feels.' I said.

'So, what are we looking for?' She asked.

'I already told you.' I replied. 'The thing that's going to kill us. Or an inconsistency. Something that's not right. A break in the pattern.'

'But, what about what happened last time we were here? When everyone was saying the exact same words?'

'If that happened in the other world, it'd give it away. But here, it could just as easily be simply the simulator. Don't forget that.'

'Okay.'

Suddenly, I stood up and walked away.

'Wha- Abi! Where're you going?' Daisy called after me, chasing after me.

I was walking towards the three girls.

'Can I see your necklaces?' I asked them.

They just kept swinging back and forth, ignoring me completely.

'Their necklaces?' Daisy said in a voice that told me she needed an explanation.

'Look at them.'

Daisy did.

'Friendship necklaces, probably.' She said, after looking up at the three moving - completely identical - necklaces.

'No. They're expensive.'

'So?'

We didn't properly understand the value of money on the SGTS. It wasn't needed - everything we needed was provided by the Controller.

'So, they could've used something cheaper to make the necklaces. But the jewels are real, and the eyes are gold.'

The necklaces were gold pendants in the shape of an eye, with a glistening diamond in the middle, as the pupil, and with small rubies surrounding the iris. The parts that would be the sclera was made from pure gold, and they hung from golden chains.

'Excuse me? Please, show us the necklaces?' Daisy asked kindly, but still they ignored us, acting as though we were not there.

'Wait a minute... Come with me.' I said, grasping Daisy's arm and running away, pulling her along slightly behind me.

'Abi - what're you doing? Where are we going?'

I didn't respond - I just kept running, letting go of Daisy's arm - she kept running behind me, through the park, into the street...

I finally stopped outside Annalise's house. We stopped to catch our breath, and, when our breathing had slowed again, we walked along the driveway, up to the door.

Annalise answered quite quickly after I knocked. 'Oh! Abi and Daisy, right? Wow, it's nice to see you two again, but now's not the best time...'

Just then, a boy who must've been the same age as Annalise came up behind her. 'Food's ready.' He said quietly to Annalise. 'Hi! I'm Darren.' He then said to us.

When I didn't reply, Daisy did. 'Well, I'm Daisy, and that's Abi.'

'Hi,' said Darren.

'Can I see your necklaces?' I said bluntly, looking at the golden eyes that hung from the chains around both of their necks.

'What?' Said Annalise, her hand instinctively shooting to the pendant that rested over her chest. Darren had done the same. 'Oh, you don't have...'

Immediately, both of their eyes glowed golden.

And they steped out of the door.

At the same moment, all of the doors along the street opened, and the residents that we had met earlier stepped out.

I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed the necklaces earlier.

'Not now...' i whispered, feeling the presence of the Dream Lord behind me as myself and Daisy retreated down the driveway.

'Sleep.'